At PDBTI, our multidisciplinary team includes psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed professional counselors, licensed clinical social workers, a nutritionist, and addiction counselors. Following the DBT model, we all participate in a weekly consult, as well as receiving individual supervision. We are a community of clinicians working with a community of clients.
Staff has been intensively trained in DBT, with many having advanced training directly from the developer of DBT, Dr. Marsha Linehan.
Portland DBT Institute Commitment to Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity
To our DBT community here in Portland and around the world,
In light of the recent political events which have highlighted a climate of intolerance and hate in many of our communities, we affirm our belief that all persons are created equal, that we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, including freedom and the pursuit of meaningful lives worth living – no matter the color of our skin, what (or whether) we choose to worship, our gender and gender identity, where we were born, our citizenship status, our sexual orientation, or the extent of our poverty or wealth.
As mental health providers, we understand the pain and suffering experienced by being perceived and treated as the “other” – personally and systemically through explicit and implicit racism, sexism, homophobia, nativism, and classism. We strive to build a world that is just and compassionate, one that honors difference and praises radical and authentic connection between people. At the same time, we are not immune from the pervasive influence of systematic oppression and marginalization of non-domination populations. In the more than two decades Portland DBT Institute has been in existence, it is without question incidents related to oppression, marginalization, and lack of equity have arisen. When these issues have presented in recent years, we have taken active steps to create long lasting cultural shifts at the clinic which are sustained and deep, rather done with protection of image in mind. When issues related to oppression and marginalization come up in a clinic context, we strive to embody the principles of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and seek a dialectical synthesis- highlighting our desire to avoid causing harm to individuals we are in contact with and accepting the parallel process where issues in our clinic invariably mirror issues present in our broader culture and the outside world.
We do not condone acts of hate, division, or xenophobia, and pledge to not stand idly by as they occur. We commit ourselves to the cause of justice, to speaking up and to intervening in the face of divisive and demeaning voices, policy, and actions. We pledge to work within and across communities, and to build bonds of understanding, respect, and compassion. We pledge our allegiance to those most vulnerable, as we insist on the dignity and sanctity of each human life. Creation of community is of critical importance to us, given our belief in the principle espoused by the creator of DBT, Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., that DBT is “a community of therapists treating a community of clients”. We are thankful to be part of the community here in Portland, as well as part of the national community of individuals providing DBT. Please feel free to contact us with questions, concerns, or comments regarding our history and approach to equity work.
